Matt Campbell spent a decade at Iowa State turning down escape hatches, even as NFL chatter swirled and bigger jobs kept poking around. This offseason, though, Penn State finally got him to move. And Campbell walked into Happy Valley believing he was leaving Ames in the hands of the man who had been beside him for years.
“My initial assumption was I was going (to Penn State) and they were going to name Mouse the head football coach,” Campbell told longtime Penn State beat writer Audrey Snyder in a recent Q&A for her newsletter, Inside the Lions.
That didn’t happen. Iowa State chose a full reset instead of a succession plan, bringing in Jimmy Rogers after his one-year run at Washington State and his successful stint as South Dakota State’s head coach.
That decision changed everything. Rather than keeping the program stitched together, the Cyclones let the pieces scatter - and Penn State was the biggest winner.
Taylor Mouser, Campbell’s offensive coordinator and longtime assistant, followed him to State College. So did a massive chunk of the roster. Iowa State had 55 outgoing transfers, and 23 of them ended up with Campbell and Mouser at Penn State.
That group includes Rocco Becht, the most experienced quarterback in college football heading into the year, along with his top five pass-catchers from last season: Brett Eskildsen, Chase Sowell, Benjamin Brahmer, Gabe Burkle, and Carson Hansen. Trevor Buhr is also expected to start at left guard.
Mouser’s path makes the move even more striking. He spent all 11 years with Campbell and all 10 in Ames, starting as a graduate assistant at Toledo in 2015 before taking the same role at Iowa State in 2016.
By 2024, he had climbed to offensive coordinator. Now, the 35-year-old former Adams State defensive lineman is set to call plays for the Nittany Lions in 2026.
He’s already proven he can handle that job, and he has a built-in connection with Becht. But Iowa State not naming him as Campbell’s replacement mattered for more than just continuity. It opened the door for the roster exodus that followed.
Some of those players likely would have gone with Campbell anyway if Mouser had stayed in Ames and taken over. Maybe even most of them.
But not all 23. Campbell’s comments to Snyder suggest he may not have pushed hard to keep Mouser’s group together, and if that’s the case, Penn State avoided what could have been a much tougher situation.
Iowa State may have made the clean break it thought it needed after the most successful 10-year stretch in program history. But the first year under Rogers is going to be a grind. Meanwhile, Penn State gets Mouser, Becht, and a familiar collection of weapons ready to roll into the Big Ten in 2026.
In Other News...
Penn State May Finally Have A Real Big Ten Rival Debate
Penn States place in the Big Ten has always come with big games, but not always with a clean, built-in rival the way some of its league neighbors have one circled every season. As the conference keeps shifting and the Nittany Lions continue to play meaningful games against the leagues heavyweights, the debate over which matchup truly fits as their defining Big Ten rivalry has started to feel a little more real.
Michigan State still has the most obvious historical hook thanks to the Land Grant Trophy, while Ohio State brings the kind of stage and history that can turn any annual meeting into something bigger. Nebraska belongs in the conversation too, even if the rivalry case is still more about recent familiarity and changing circumstances than decades of baggage. Penn State may not have a designated Week 14 enemy yet, but the ingredients are there for one of these games to grow into more than just another conference date. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Just Cleared A Massive Beaver Stadium Renovation Hurdle
Penn States Beaver Stadium renovation has cleared an important financial checkpoint, with the athletic department moving past its $134.3 million fundraising target and now sitting above $135 million. The project is already underway, and the school has made charitable giving a major piece of the plan, aiming to cover nearly 20% of the overall $700 million cost through donations.
The latest push comes as the stadium continues toward a major overhaul that is scheduled to be finished before the 2027 season. Penn State has not said exactly where the current total stands, but the milestone suggests the fundraising effort has real momentum as the Nittany Lions work through one of the most ambitious facility projects in the programs history. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Just Entered A New Money Grab Fans Will Notice
Penn State football is stepping into a new corner of the college sports business, joining the first U.S. rollout of fan token sales through a partnership with Socios and Playfly. The program puts the Nittany Lions in a small group of major schools testing a cryptocurrency-style model that is being marketed as a way to deepen fan engagement beyond the usual ticketing and merchandise playbook.
The tokens are being pitched as a gateway to exclusive experiences, voting rights on fan-focused decisions and other rewards tied to team loyalty, which is exactly the kind of concept athletic departments are hoping can turn attention into revenue. What Penn State has not yet spelled out is how those benefits will look in practice for its fans, leaving the idea intriguing for now even as the broader rollout starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]